The Asian American / Asian Research Institute (AAARI) was established on November 19, 2001, by The City University of New York (CUNY) Board of Trustees, in a resolution introduced by Chancellor Matthew Goldstein. The Institute is a university-wide scholarly research and resource center that focuses on policies and issues that affect Asians and Asian Americans. It covers four areas: Asian American Studies; East Asian Studies; South Asian Studies; and Trade & Technology Studies.
Our Mission
The City University of New York, with 26 institutions city-wide, is rich in faculty who have expertise in Asian and Asian American studies. As of Fall 2023, CUNY enrolled over 46,873 (22.8%) Asian or Pacific Islander undergraduate and 5,658 (20.1%) graduate students who will soon emerge as a vital segment of New York City’s workforce and leadership. As of Fall 2024, Asian, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islanders represent over 6,372 (15.7%) faculty and staff at CUNY.
The Asian American / Asian Research Institute seeks to achieve the following:
- to be an Asian intellectual and cultural center that addresses the needs of New York’s diverse ethnic subgroups of Asian origin
- to be a respected authority regionally, nationally, and internationally, on issues concerning Asia, and the Asian American community
- to stimulate the study of Asian people, languages, cultures, and countries as well as Asian immigrants and their descendants who live in the U.S.
- to bring together a community of scholars and channel their scholarship and research energies on Asia and the Asian American experience
- to identify timely issues that affect the Asian and Asian American communities
- to conduct scholarly, unbiased studies impacting policy and community concerns
- to disseminate its research results and educate the public about Asian and Asian American issues
- to serve as a bridge between CUNY, and the Asian American community
Our Accomplishments
Since its founding, AAARI has become a hub for intellectual and cultural engagement, hosting a weekly public lecture series with over 430 talks (as of Spring 2025), and organizing major conferences on topics such as Asian American leadership, education, civic engagement, identity, immigration, and diasporic communities.
We have published CUNY Bulletin of Asian American / Asian Affairs (Volumes 1–6) and CUNY FORUM: Asian American / Asian Studies (Volumes 1–11), providing platforms for scholarship and dialogue on critical issues facing Asian and Asian American communities. Our work has been supported by grants and awards from the NYC Council, NYS Legislature, CUNY’s Diversity Projects Development Fund and BRESI, Verizon Foundation, and the Ford Foundation, among others.
AAARI has funded faculty and student research through the Betty Lee Sung Endowment Fund and CUNY Faculty Research Support Program, and supported outreach initiatives for Asian community organizations. We’ve offered cultural and educational workshops in areas such as Chinese calligraphy, painting, Tai Chi, and Asian philosophy, and established seasonal Asian cinema series to promote cross-cultural understanding.
Signature programs include the CUNY-wide Asian American Film Festival, the CUNY Ethics and Morality Essay Contest, and the CUNY Thomas Tam Scholarship. We’ve also created enduring institutional support through the Dr. Thomas Tam Visiting Professorship in Asian American and Asian Studies, inviting expertise from all across the United States.
Additional initiatives (since Fall 2022) include:
- AAARI Reads, a communal reading project for CUNY students, staff, and faculty
- A CUNY-wide Brown Bag Series showcasing current faculty research in Asian and Asian American Studies
- A public directory of scholars and experts across CUNY
- Professional development and leadership workshops in collaboration with AAMPOWER at CUNY
- Advocacy for the inclusion of AANHPI history in New York State K–12 curricula through the Localized History Project
- Tech Innovation training fellowships for CUNY undergraduates in partnership with the Queens College Tech Incubator
Plans for the Future
We envision the Asian American / Asian Research Institute to be a financially well-endowed organization, and respected authority regionally, nationally, and internationally on issues concerning Asia, and the Asian American community. It will continue to be a non-partisan research institution and a pan-Asian intellectual and cultural center that addresses the needs of New York’s diverse subgroups of Asian origin, and a bridge between the City University of New York, and the Asian American community.
- Collaborate and provide research opportunities for faculty, with a particular emphasis on new faculty
- Provide research opportunities for students on Asian American and Asian affairs
- Establish professional development opportunities for Asian American faculty and staff, including leadership in higher education
AAARI Board
Members
Francisco Delgado
Assistant Professor of English, Borough of Manhattan Community College
Sandie Han
Dean of the School of Science & Allied Health, Medgar Evers College
Caroline K. Hong
Associate Professor of English, Queens College
Chaumtoli Huq
Associate Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
Ellen Lai
Social Media Director, Office of Communications & Marketing, City University of New York
Trang M. Le-Chan
Director of Alumni Relations, Institutional Advancement, CUNY School of Law
Colleen Leigh
Assistant Dean of Enrollment Management and Student Success, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Jouralism
Catherine Ma
Professor of Psychology, Kingsborough Community College
Ann Matsuuchi
Instructional Technology Librarian (Professor), LaGuardia Community College
Soniya Munshi
Associate Professor, Urban Studies & Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Leadership, Queens College
Esther Son
Associate Professor of Social Work, College of Staten Island
Sokunthary Svay
Assistant Professor, English, City College of New York
Lili Shi
Professor of Communication Studies, Kingsborough Community College
Linta Varghese
Associate Professor of Asian American/Asian Studies, Borough of Manhattan Community College
Administrative Staff
John J. Chin
Dean
Antony Wong
Program Coordinator
Associate Editor, CUNY FORUM
William Tam
College Assistant
Pingping Wu
College Assistant
Zhu-Hui Wu
College Assistant
–
Russell C. Leong
Editor, CUNY FORUM
Shreya Sunderram
Project Director, Localized History Project